North Adams will host kickoff hoops action – 

By Mark Carpenter – 

The official kickoff to the 2017-18 girls basketball season is set for Friday, Nov. 17, hosted by North Adams High School. The annual Southern Hills Athletic Conference Girls Basketball Preview will give local girls hoops fans their first opportunity to see their favorites in action in the two-quarter exhibitions which will feature all 10 SHAC girls squads.
The match ups for the previews this year were done a bit different than in the past. Each year at the C103 SHAC Kickoff Party, which was held on Nov. 3, the SHAC coaches are polled on where they think the teams will finish, and this season those results were used to determine the preview opponents. For example, the team voted number one in the big school division will face the team voted number one in the small school division, and so on down the line.
The night kicks off at 5 p.m. as Coach J. R. Kirker and his West Union Lady Dragons will face off with the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats, who are bringing back Coach Steve Smith to guide this year’s group.
Following at 6 p.m. will be a match up between Coach Chris Coleman and his Ripley Lady Jays and the youthful Manchester Greyhounds, led by Coach Vohn Hoop. At 7 p.m., Coach Whitney Lewis and the Lynchburg Clay Lady Mustangs will battle the Peebles Lady Indians, under the direction of Coach Billie Jo Justice.
The 8 p.m. match up features Coach Kevin Pickerill and his Eastern Lady Warriors, fresh off an appearance in the Division III Final Four, facing Coach Toby Sheets and the Fayetteville Lady Rockets. The girls preview closes out with a 9 p.m. contest between the two teams voted number one in the coaches poll, the host North Adams Lady Devils, led by Coach Rob Davis, and the Fairfield Lady Lions and head coach Chad Hamilton.
The SHAC Boys Preview will be held on Friday, Nov. 24 at Peebles High School. Look for more on that schedule in the Nov. 19 edition of The People’s Defender.